Do You Remember? (Riku, Riku/Tidus)
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Title: Do You Remember?
Author:
aurons_fan
Theme: 28, secret
Pairing/Characters: Riku; Riku/Tidus (onesided Riku/Sora. hint of Sora/Kairi)
Rating: PG13 or T.
Disclaimer: I do not own neither Riku nor Tidus. They belong to Square Enix and Disney.
Notes: ...Um, this was inspired by the song "Do You Remember" By Aaron Carter. ...Yeah. I like him. <3 But, uh...hope you like it
Summary: Sora didn't realize how much what he was saying was hurting Riku.
Word Count: 3,157
“Hey…Riku? Can you keep a secret?”
Said teen glanced over to his best friend as Sora grinned up to him. “I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want…”
“Spit it out, Sora.” Riku gave him a slight smile and shook his head before resting his head back onto the headboard. The brunet frowned before flopping onto his bed, a lazy grin crossing his face.
“Well…we disappeared for over a year, right?” he began, resting his head in his hands with a small sigh. “And…well, before we left the islands, I kinda had a crush on Kairi.”
Luckily for Riku, Sora didn’t notice the silver haired teen’s fists clench ever-so-slightly at her name. “Go on…”
“And…” Sora continued, rolling onto his back with a wide grin. “Well, it’s been all this time, and after searching the worlds for her…and I really think I love her. I mean, she was so strong and brave without us, but she could still fight on her own. And she’s become so pretty over the year and…”
Riku’s head fell, ever so slightly, as he continued to listen to Sora babble on about how wonderful he found Kairi. “I… Weren’t you also searching for me, too?” he asked softly, allowing a sad smile to cross his face.
“Wha?” Sora blinked, glancing up to Riku, before rolling over and patting his best friend’s shoulder. “Of course I was, Riku! What do you think was doing all that time? Looking for my best friend!” He smiled, not realizing how much his emphasis affected Riku. “And I know you can fight -heck, I’ve fought against you, so I know it well - but …I was always really worried about Kairi. And now that I know she’s safe - and can fight! - I… I don’t know.” He gave a soft laugh. “I don’t know. Should I tell her that I like her, or…”
Riku said nothing in response and simply fell onto Sora’s bed, closing his eyes. “Riku…?” Sora asked, looking down onto his friend’s fallen body. “Are you alright?”
“Fine, Sora,” Riku smiled, shaking his head. “Look, tell Kairi you like her. It’s frankly obvious how much she adores you - you two will be perfect for each other.”
The next thing Riku knew, he was being hefted into a hug. Sora gave another laugh before giving Riku one more tight squeeze. “I knew I could trust you. I mean, we’ve always been close, but …it would be weird if there was anything too close between us, right?”
Riku knew Sora couldn’t see him and therefore, the brunet wouldn’t see his eye twitching. “Yeah…of course.”
Unbeknownst to all of this, Sora soldiered on with his statements. “And, for a while, I thought you liked Kairi, especially throughout first adventure. But when you didn’t…well, it really made me feel more assured that she would like me.”
Moving Sora away from him, Riku gave the boy yet another smile. “I promise Sora, Kairi will -does - like you. Now can we get some sleep?” A quick glance at the clock made Riku shake his head. “It’s already two in the morning.”
Sora nodded, and Riku climbed off the bed before lying down in his sleeping bag. They had not planned on having a sleepover, but after their video game playing had gone on past eleven, they, along with Sora’s parents, thought it would be easier if Riku stayed at his house.
At the moment, however, it was possibly one of the hardest things that Riku had ever had to go through. As both boys lay in silence, Riku could only think of the possibility of “what if?” What if Sora did like him and wouldn’t mind if they did something? What if he wasn’t too afraid to admit what he felt to Sora? What if Kairi didn’t like Sora - would it bring the brunet back to him?
Probably not, seeing as it was obvious to anyone who saw them that they were both infatuated with each other. In fact, the entire island thought them adorable, and he was the kind, supporting friend. If they only knew the truth…
“Riku?”
“What, Sora?” Riku responded, shifting in his sleeping bag with a groan. Annoying crush or not, Sora was his best friend first and foremost. He had to be there when the boy needed him.
Sora was quiet for a little while - long enough that Riku feared that he’d fallen back asleep - before he spoke suddenly. “Does…this upset you?”
Riku quickly responded how it didn’t and how Sora was just being silly. After making his claim, he rolled back away from the bed, glad that Sora couldn’t hear his pounding heart over the gentle crash of waves outside his window.
“But…” Was Sora really going to continue with this? “I mean, you did like Kairi for such a long time…”
“And I don’t anymore. She’s my best friend, yeah, but I don’t feel anything for her romantically,” he commented, shrugging. That was the truth, even if Sora didn’t believe so.
Another silent pause, and then Sora spoke again. “You don’t happen to…like me, do you?”
Riku forced himself to laugh and shook his head. “Sora, you’re also my best friend. But like that?” There was a short pause, but Riku continued speaking, as though the comment did not affect him. “Besides, you and Kairi are meant to be. Stop worrying that she’ll reject you and get some sleep!”
When Sora tried to object again, Riku pushed him away from the topic until the brunet finally gave up and did fall asleep. Riku glanced onto the bed, checking to see if Sora had indeed fallen asleep. Once that fact was confirmed, Riku quickly hopped out of the sleeping bag, grabbed his sneakers, and rushed out of the house. Hopefully he would be back within a few hours and wouldn’t have to explain anything to Sora about his disappearance.
--
As Riku ran through the downtown markets of Destiny Islands, he felt his fists clench tighter and tighter. Sora was so adorable…but so naive at times! Or…maybe he wasn’t, Riku mused as he continued to run. The faint smell of fish was noticeable in the air seeing as at this time, the fishermen of the islands were collecting their food for market, but Riku didn’t notice or care.
Sora knew, Riku realized as he came to an abrupt halt. Sora had mentioned it before, but Riku kept pushing it away, and tonight, he couldn’t tell the truth to the boy… he couldn’t…
But what good would it have been? Riku shouted back at his mind, running a hand through his hair. Sora was already in love with Kairi, and that fact wasn’t going to change anytime soon. And the islands knew how to accept him - he was the third wheel to the Sora and Kairi love package. He was the best friend who’d fought alongside Sora. They didn’t - wouldn’t - know what to do with him if he suddenly became the gay best friend of Sora, or Sora’s best friend who loved him.
As Riku fell to his knees, a light drizzle began to fall from the morning sky. He grabbed his hair in his hands and sunk farther onto the ground, not really caring where he was. “Damnit…!” he exclaimed, glad that there was no one around he knew that could hear him. But there were plenty of people around who saw him and could recognize him from a glance. He realized that he must have looked quite like an idiot, but at the way he felt, that was the least of his worries.
Sora would never be his - that much was obvious. Sora, Kairi, and he had grown up in this world where such things were not accepted. But the fact that he would have to see them together everyday out of every year for the rest of his life made what was happening seem as though they were going at light speed. Soon, soon he’d look up and they’d have a family and he’d be the best friend who’d never married, all because he was still in love with that innocent brunet who could save world after world but who would never look at him in that way…
“Riku?”
Riku froze, recognizing the voice in an instant. It certainly wasn’t Sora’s - that much was obvious. It could’ve only belonged to Tidus, the boy wonder regarded on the islands. Tidus could do no wrong, due to the fact that he was so good at blitzball, that he led the island’s teams to the championships.
Him being so perfect made Riku realize how unperfect he was. He’d easily fallen into darkness, only searching for power to defeat Sora, and he still couldn’t defeat him.
…Sora…
Riku dropped his face again, not caring that he was crying. He no longer cared that his reputation (which had gone from being the tough kid to the mysterious teen) was currently being shattered due to the fact that he was sobbing in the middle of a fish market!
Suddenly he felt Tidus grab his arm in an attempt to drag Riku along with him. Riku would’ve asked what the blond was doing, but his body suddenly registered that it was up way past normal, and he felt like he was about to pass out.
“You okay, Riku?” Tidus voice sounded a million miles away, although he was not farther than a foot. “Riku?!”
Riku glanced up to him. “Tired.”
After that, his world went black.
--
As Riku awoke, he realized that he had no idea where he was. The sun was filtering in through a nearby window, but it certainly wasn’t his window. With a jolt, he remembered he should’ve been at Sora’s house, but he wasn’t there now and he had to tell Sora where he was… Sora…
The door creaked open; Riku glanced up, seeing an older man walk into the room, and accepted the mug of what appeared to be tea that he handed to him. “Tidus is calling your friend Sora,” the man said before noting Riku’s uncertainty. “It’s just tea - perhaps spiked with a bit of potion, but nothing that will kill you.”
Riku took a sip of the drink - it was only tea after all - before setting it down. “Who…?”
The man gave a smirk. “Name’s Auron. I watch him.” He nodded to the door as Tidus came rushing in.
“Out! Yeesh, give him some privacy, Auron!” he exclaimed, shaking his head. Auron discreetly rolled his eye, but he left the room anyway, quietly shutting the door behind him.
Tidus rolled his eyes as well before giving Riku a faint smile. “Sorry - my dad’s old friend. He’s like …my guardian now. Anyway, I heard that you were hanging out with Sora today from Selphie, and so I called there and told his parents you were here!”
Riku had finished most of the contents of the cup (whatever kind of tea that was in there, it was curing his throbbing headache), before raising his eyebrow. “Why would you do all that for me?”
Tidus mumbled something under his breath before shaking his head. “We - Auron and I, that is - found you this morning in the fish market. So…since I know you, I didn’t want you to get mugged or anything. That’s why we - well, I, because that old guy wouldn’t have moved a muscle to help - brought you here!”
Giving a soft chuckle, Riku set the cup down and leaned forward. “Why would you do that for me?” he repeated, hoping to actually get an answer this time.
“Um, well, it’s about eight in the morning, if you cared to know!” Tidus nervously continued to talk, not-so-discreetly avoiding the question. “And we found you at about four this morning, so…so…”
“Tidus.” The blond gulped softly before glancing over to Riku. “Will you answer my question?”
Before either could talk, there was a faint knock at the door and Auron walked in again. “Phone,” he said before handing said object to Tidus. The blond rolled his eyes.
“What, you still aren’t used to machines yet?” Auron narrowed his eye, but left the room.
Tidus smirked and clicked the “Talk” button, then instantly moved the phone away from his ear. “No…no, it’s alright! Chill Sora, Riku’s right here.”
Riku perked up at the mention of Sora. “Can I…?” he asked, and Tidus handed him the phone. He coughed in at attempt to clear his throat before speaking, but was drowned out by Sora’s questions before he could talk.
“Where are you?! Mom was going crazy, till Tidus called. …When did you leave? Why did you leave?! Riku, what’s going on?!” Sora shot off, becoming more and more worried as he continued talking.
Chuckling, Riku responded as best he could. “I’m at Tidus’s house; I left about three, and…I’ll be back in a bit, alright?” he said, hoping that his answer would please the brunet.
It didn’t. “Riku, why? Why did you leave, though?” Sora asked again, sounding even more worried. “Is…is it something I did?”
Riku opened his mouth to instantly deny the claim, but Tidus snatched the phone out of his hands. “Oh, sorry, Sora. He’s kinda …sick. But he’ll call you back when he feels better. Bye!” He grinned as he pressed the ‘off’ button on the phone as though he’d made some amazing feat.
Riku continued staring at him open-mouthed. “I wasn’t done.”
“Yes, you were,” Tidus muttered, shaking his head. “Anyway, you should probably finish that tea; it’ll help with your headache-”
Standing up, Riku easily towered over the blond as he glared down to him. “I wasn’t done talking,” he interrupted, narrowing his eyes. “Is there a reason that you cut me off like that?”
Tidus glared right on back. “Yeah. It’s my house.”
Exhaling, Riku nodded before heading to the door. “True. I’ll just leave and talk to Sora at his house.” Shaking his head, he attempted to open the door, only to discover that it was locked. He gave an agitated groan before turning his head. “Tidus…”
“I won’t let you leave.”
“Why, are you going to lock me up till I’m better?” Riku shot back. He hadn’t meant to be rude, seeing as Tidus did help him out, but the fact that he’d rudely hung up on his phone conversation with Sora…
Tidus said nothing, and Riku gave the door another yank - still, nothing happened. Biting the inside of his cheek to stay calm, Riku turned to face Tidus, ready to give the blond a piece of his mind.
“I lov… um….” The blond flushed, and shook his head. “Never mind.”
Some of the anger that Riku felt dispersed. “Wait, what?”
Riku then noticed how the boy was clutching his hand in fists and swallowing hard. “It’s nothing. I…” He stopped again, as though debating something internally. “Look. Take the keys - I …didn’t think it would work.”
Tidus dropped said object onto the ground and moved back to the bed.
Although he did stop to pick up the keys, Riku moved back to the bed as well. “Tidus…?” he asked, gently shaking the blond. “What did you say?”
Almost as though something been sparked from that statement, Tidus sat up instantly and dragged Riku’s face to meet his. An innocent, clumsy, but honest kiss and it was over before it had even started. Riku moved back, too confused as to what had happened. “Wha…?”
Tidus scowled up to Riku. “Don’t you get it?” he exclaimed, standing up and prodding Riku’s chest. “Sora loves Kairi - the entire island knows that! And yet…you allow yourself to be fooled by the hope that Sora might one day fall for you! And …and here I sit, doing everything for you, but you don’t…” He exhaled and covered his face. “It’s nothing. Go away.”
“Nothing? After that?” Riku retorted, shaking his head. “How did you know that I liked Sora…?”
“It’s obvious from the way you stare at him!” Tidus fired back, his eyes flashing. “It’s obvious from the way you talk about him, the way you act when you’re thinking about him… Did you think it would go unnoticed that you kept mumbling ‘Sora’ as I dragged you home?”
Riku felt his face heat up; he really hoped Tidus was lying about this.
Unfortunately for the silver haired teen, Tidus wasn’t done. “You can’t remember all the times I’ve fought with you because Sora would rather be with Kairi. Or the time when you helped me! When my dad died and you stayed with me! Sora wouldn’t stay, because he didn’t quite understand what was going on at the time…”
Riku knew he was treading into dangerous territory, but he still felt the need to stick up for his best friend. “It’s understandable at the time. He was only about eight…”
“But you still stayed by me!” Tidus shouted back, shaking his head. “And you…” He quickly moved across the room and pulled out a box, quickly throwing out useless things in order to reach his important goal. Riku slowly approached behind him, almost cautiously. “And you brought me this, a necklace made of seashells. Remember? You told me a story of how my dad was somewhere in the heavens, and … and I listened, not because it made me feel better than he was in a better place, but that you were with me and not Sora!”
“Tidus…” Riku tried again, but almost fell to the ground as Tidus grabbed onto his legs.
“Look! I don’t care about my reputation - go on and tell the whole town about me! I couldn’t care less! But…” He gave a soft sniffle. Riku realized that he had been frozen for the past few minutes, watching this all unravel. “But don’t let yourself be stuck on Sora, who is only going to break your heart!”
Sighing, Riku ran a hand through his hair, his headache threatening to return back at full force. “Tidus…”
“Please!” Tidus exclaimed, cutting him off again. “Please, promise me!”
Riku exhaled again. “I…I can’t promise you that.” Tidus opened his mouth to protest, but Riku held up his hand. “It’s…complicated. Sora and I…we’ve been through a lot. But…” He glanced down to Tidus, noting how the boy - Riku never referred to him as a boy before. He was always strong and able Tidus. But seeing Tidus near tears like that made him realize that Tidus was only a boy, after all - how his chin quivered as though tears were about to spill over and he shook his head. “I’ll try. I know Sora can’t. It’s…love, you know?”
Tidus gave what could have resembled a smile before enveloping Riku in one of the tightest hugs he’d ever felt. Riku simply smiled and patted the kid’s back as Tidus rested his head against his shoulder, tears of anger gently turning into tears of contentment as they flowed down his cheeks.
To see other prompts from this table, click here.
Title: Do You Remember?
Author:
aurons_fan
Theme: 28, secret
Pairing/Characters: Riku; Riku/Tidus (onesided Riku/Sora. hint of Sora/Kairi)
Rating: PG13 or T.
Disclaimer: I do not own neither Riku nor Tidus. They belong to Square Enix and Disney.
Notes: ...Um, this was inspired by the song "Do You Remember" By Aaron Carter. ...Yeah. I like him. <3 But, uh...hope you like it
Summary: Sora didn't realize how much what he was saying was hurting Riku.
Word Count: 3,157
“Hey…Riku? Can you keep a secret?”
Said teen glanced over to his best friend as Sora grinned up to him. “I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want…”
“Spit it out, Sora.” Riku gave him a slight smile and shook his head before resting his head back onto the headboard. The brunet frowned before flopping onto his bed, a lazy grin crossing his face.
“Well…we disappeared for over a year, right?” he began, resting his head in his hands with a small sigh. “And…well, before we left the islands, I kinda had a crush on Kairi.”
Luckily for Riku, Sora didn’t notice the silver haired teen’s fists clench ever-so-slightly at her name. “Go on…”
“And…” Sora continued, rolling onto his back with a wide grin. “Well, it’s been all this time, and after searching the worlds for her…and I really think I love her. I mean, she was so strong and brave without us, but she could still fight on her own. And she’s become so pretty over the year and…”
Riku’s head fell, ever so slightly, as he continued to listen to Sora babble on about how wonderful he found Kairi. “I… Weren’t you also searching for me, too?” he asked softly, allowing a sad smile to cross his face.
“Wha?” Sora blinked, glancing up to Riku, before rolling over and patting his best friend’s shoulder. “Of course I was, Riku! What do you think was doing all that time? Looking for my best friend!” He smiled, not realizing how much his emphasis affected Riku. “And I know you can fight -heck, I’ve fought against you, so I know it well - but …I was always really worried about Kairi. And now that I know she’s safe - and can fight! - I… I don’t know.” He gave a soft laugh. “I don’t know. Should I tell her that I like her, or…”
Riku said nothing in response and simply fell onto Sora’s bed, closing his eyes. “Riku…?” Sora asked, looking down onto his friend’s fallen body. “Are you alright?”
“Fine, Sora,” Riku smiled, shaking his head. “Look, tell Kairi you like her. It’s frankly obvious how much she adores you - you two will be perfect for each other.”
The next thing Riku knew, he was being hefted into a hug. Sora gave another laugh before giving Riku one more tight squeeze. “I knew I could trust you. I mean, we’ve always been close, but …it would be weird if there was anything too close between us, right?”
Riku knew Sora couldn’t see him and therefore, the brunet wouldn’t see his eye twitching. “Yeah…of course.”
Unbeknownst to all of this, Sora soldiered on with his statements. “And, for a while, I thought you liked Kairi, especially throughout first adventure. But when you didn’t…well, it really made me feel more assured that she would like me.”
Moving Sora away from him, Riku gave the boy yet another smile. “I promise Sora, Kairi will -does - like you. Now can we get some sleep?” A quick glance at the clock made Riku shake his head. “It’s already two in the morning.”
Sora nodded, and Riku climbed off the bed before lying down in his sleeping bag. They had not planned on having a sleepover, but after their video game playing had gone on past eleven, they, along with Sora’s parents, thought it would be easier if Riku stayed at his house.
At the moment, however, it was possibly one of the hardest things that Riku had ever had to go through. As both boys lay in silence, Riku could only think of the possibility of “what if?” What if Sora did like him and wouldn’t mind if they did something? What if he wasn’t too afraid to admit what he felt to Sora? What if Kairi didn’t like Sora - would it bring the brunet back to him?
Probably not, seeing as it was obvious to anyone who saw them that they were both infatuated with each other. In fact, the entire island thought them adorable, and he was the kind, supporting friend. If they only knew the truth…
“Riku?”
“What, Sora?” Riku responded, shifting in his sleeping bag with a groan. Annoying crush or not, Sora was his best friend first and foremost. He had to be there when the boy needed him.
Sora was quiet for a little while - long enough that Riku feared that he’d fallen back asleep - before he spoke suddenly. “Does…this upset you?”
Riku quickly responded how it didn’t and how Sora was just being silly. After making his claim, he rolled back away from the bed, glad that Sora couldn’t hear his pounding heart over the gentle crash of waves outside his window.
“But…” Was Sora really going to continue with this? “I mean, you did like Kairi for such a long time…”
“And I don’t anymore. She’s my best friend, yeah, but I don’t feel anything for her romantically,” he commented, shrugging. That was the truth, even if Sora didn’t believe so.
Another silent pause, and then Sora spoke again. “You don’t happen to…like me, do you?”
Riku forced himself to laugh and shook his head. “Sora, you’re also my best friend. But like that?” There was a short pause, but Riku continued speaking, as though the comment did not affect him. “Besides, you and Kairi are meant to be. Stop worrying that she’ll reject you and get some sleep!”
When Sora tried to object again, Riku pushed him away from the topic until the brunet finally gave up and did fall asleep. Riku glanced onto the bed, checking to see if Sora had indeed fallen asleep. Once that fact was confirmed, Riku quickly hopped out of the sleeping bag, grabbed his sneakers, and rushed out of the house. Hopefully he would be back within a few hours and wouldn’t have to explain anything to Sora about his disappearance.
--
As Riku ran through the downtown markets of Destiny Islands, he felt his fists clench tighter and tighter. Sora was so adorable…but so naive at times! Or…maybe he wasn’t, Riku mused as he continued to run. The faint smell of fish was noticeable in the air seeing as at this time, the fishermen of the islands were collecting their food for market, but Riku didn’t notice or care.
Sora knew, Riku realized as he came to an abrupt halt. Sora had mentioned it before, but Riku kept pushing it away, and tonight, he couldn’t tell the truth to the boy… he couldn’t…
But what good would it have been? Riku shouted back at his mind, running a hand through his hair. Sora was already in love with Kairi, and that fact wasn’t going to change anytime soon. And the islands knew how to accept him - he was the third wheel to the Sora and Kairi love package. He was the best friend who’d fought alongside Sora. They didn’t - wouldn’t - know what to do with him if he suddenly became the gay best friend of Sora, or Sora’s best friend who loved him.
As Riku fell to his knees, a light drizzle began to fall from the morning sky. He grabbed his hair in his hands and sunk farther onto the ground, not really caring where he was. “Damnit…!” he exclaimed, glad that there was no one around he knew that could hear him. But there were plenty of people around who saw him and could recognize him from a glance. He realized that he must have looked quite like an idiot, but at the way he felt, that was the least of his worries.
Sora would never be his - that much was obvious. Sora, Kairi, and he had grown up in this world where such things were not accepted. But the fact that he would have to see them together everyday out of every year for the rest of his life made what was happening seem as though they were going at light speed. Soon, soon he’d look up and they’d have a family and he’d be the best friend who’d never married, all because he was still in love with that innocent brunet who could save world after world but who would never look at him in that way…
“Riku?”
Riku froze, recognizing the voice in an instant. It certainly wasn’t Sora’s - that much was obvious. It could’ve only belonged to Tidus, the boy wonder regarded on the islands. Tidus could do no wrong, due to the fact that he was so good at blitzball, that he led the island’s teams to the championships.
Him being so perfect made Riku realize how unperfect he was. He’d easily fallen into darkness, only searching for power to defeat Sora, and he still couldn’t defeat him.
…Sora…
Riku dropped his face again, not caring that he was crying. He no longer cared that his reputation (which had gone from being the tough kid to the mysterious teen) was currently being shattered due to the fact that he was sobbing in the middle of a fish market!
Suddenly he felt Tidus grab his arm in an attempt to drag Riku along with him. Riku would’ve asked what the blond was doing, but his body suddenly registered that it was up way past normal, and he felt like he was about to pass out.
“You okay, Riku?” Tidus voice sounded a million miles away, although he was not farther than a foot. “Riku?!”
Riku glanced up to him. “Tired.”
After that, his world went black.
--
As Riku awoke, he realized that he had no idea where he was. The sun was filtering in through a nearby window, but it certainly wasn’t his window. With a jolt, he remembered he should’ve been at Sora’s house, but he wasn’t there now and he had to tell Sora where he was… Sora…
The door creaked open; Riku glanced up, seeing an older man walk into the room, and accepted the mug of what appeared to be tea that he handed to him. “Tidus is calling your friend Sora,” the man said before noting Riku’s uncertainty. “It’s just tea - perhaps spiked with a bit of potion, but nothing that will kill you.”
Riku took a sip of the drink - it was only tea after all - before setting it down. “Who…?”
The man gave a smirk. “Name’s Auron. I watch him.” He nodded to the door as Tidus came rushing in.
“Out! Yeesh, give him some privacy, Auron!” he exclaimed, shaking his head. Auron discreetly rolled his eye, but he left the room anyway, quietly shutting the door behind him.
Tidus rolled his eyes as well before giving Riku a faint smile. “Sorry - my dad’s old friend. He’s like …my guardian now. Anyway, I heard that you were hanging out with Sora today from Selphie, and so I called there and told his parents you were here!”
Riku had finished most of the contents of the cup (whatever kind of tea that was in there, it was curing his throbbing headache), before raising his eyebrow. “Why would you do all that for me?”
Tidus mumbled something under his breath before shaking his head. “We - Auron and I, that is - found you this morning in the fish market. So…since I know you, I didn’t want you to get mugged or anything. That’s why we - well, I, because that old guy wouldn’t have moved a muscle to help - brought you here!”
Giving a soft chuckle, Riku set the cup down and leaned forward. “Why would you do that for me?” he repeated, hoping to actually get an answer this time.
“Um, well, it’s about eight in the morning, if you cared to know!” Tidus nervously continued to talk, not-so-discreetly avoiding the question. “And we found you at about four this morning, so…so…”
“Tidus.” The blond gulped softly before glancing over to Riku. “Will you answer my question?”
Before either could talk, there was a faint knock at the door and Auron walked in again. “Phone,” he said before handing said object to Tidus. The blond rolled his eyes.
“What, you still aren’t used to machines yet?” Auron narrowed his eye, but left the room.
Tidus smirked and clicked the “Talk” button, then instantly moved the phone away from his ear. “No…no, it’s alright! Chill Sora, Riku’s right here.”
Riku perked up at the mention of Sora. “Can I…?” he asked, and Tidus handed him the phone. He coughed in at attempt to clear his throat before speaking, but was drowned out by Sora’s questions before he could talk.
“Where are you?! Mom was going crazy, till Tidus called. …When did you leave? Why did you leave?! Riku, what’s going on?!” Sora shot off, becoming more and more worried as he continued talking.
Chuckling, Riku responded as best he could. “I’m at Tidus’s house; I left about three, and…I’ll be back in a bit, alright?” he said, hoping that his answer would please the brunet.
It didn’t. “Riku, why? Why did you leave, though?” Sora asked again, sounding even more worried. “Is…is it something I did?”
Riku opened his mouth to instantly deny the claim, but Tidus snatched the phone out of his hands. “Oh, sorry, Sora. He’s kinda …sick. But he’ll call you back when he feels better. Bye!” He grinned as he pressed the ‘off’ button on the phone as though he’d made some amazing feat.
Riku continued staring at him open-mouthed. “I wasn’t done.”
“Yes, you were,” Tidus muttered, shaking his head. “Anyway, you should probably finish that tea; it’ll help with your headache-”
Standing up, Riku easily towered over the blond as he glared down to him. “I wasn’t done talking,” he interrupted, narrowing his eyes. “Is there a reason that you cut me off like that?”
Tidus glared right on back. “Yeah. It’s my house.”
Exhaling, Riku nodded before heading to the door. “True. I’ll just leave and talk to Sora at his house.” Shaking his head, he attempted to open the door, only to discover that it was locked. He gave an agitated groan before turning his head. “Tidus…”
“I won’t let you leave.”
“Why, are you going to lock me up till I’m better?” Riku shot back. He hadn’t meant to be rude, seeing as Tidus did help him out, but the fact that he’d rudely hung up on his phone conversation with Sora…
Tidus said nothing, and Riku gave the door another yank - still, nothing happened. Biting the inside of his cheek to stay calm, Riku turned to face Tidus, ready to give the blond a piece of his mind.
“I lov… um….” The blond flushed, and shook his head. “Never mind.”
Some of the anger that Riku felt dispersed. “Wait, what?”
Riku then noticed how the boy was clutching his hand in fists and swallowing hard. “It’s nothing. I…” He stopped again, as though debating something internally. “Look. Take the keys - I …didn’t think it would work.”
Tidus dropped said object onto the ground and moved back to the bed.
Although he did stop to pick up the keys, Riku moved back to the bed as well. “Tidus…?” he asked, gently shaking the blond. “What did you say?”
Almost as though something been sparked from that statement, Tidus sat up instantly and dragged Riku’s face to meet his. An innocent, clumsy, but honest kiss and it was over before it had even started. Riku moved back, too confused as to what had happened. “Wha…?”
Tidus scowled up to Riku. “Don’t you get it?” he exclaimed, standing up and prodding Riku’s chest. “Sora loves Kairi - the entire island knows that! And yet…you allow yourself to be fooled by the hope that Sora might one day fall for you! And …and here I sit, doing everything for you, but you don’t…” He exhaled and covered his face. “It’s nothing. Go away.”
“Nothing? After that?” Riku retorted, shaking his head. “How did you know that I liked Sora…?”
“It’s obvious from the way you stare at him!” Tidus fired back, his eyes flashing. “It’s obvious from the way you talk about him, the way you act when you’re thinking about him… Did you think it would go unnoticed that you kept mumbling ‘Sora’ as I dragged you home?”
Riku felt his face heat up; he really hoped Tidus was lying about this.
Unfortunately for the silver haired teen, Tidus wasn’t done. “You can’t remember all the times I’ve fought with you because Sora would rather be with Kairi. Or the time when you helped me! When my dad died and you stayed with me! Sora wouldn’t stay, because he didn’t quite understand what was going on at the time…”
Riku knew he was treading into dangerous territory, but he still felt the need to stick up for his best friend. “It’s understandable at the time. He was only about eight…”
“But you still stayed by me!” Tidus shouted back, shaking his head. “And you…” He quickly moved across the room and pulled out a box, quickly throwing out useless things in order to reach his important goal. Riku slowly approached behind him, almost cautiously. “And you brought me this, a necklace made of seashells. Remember? You told me a story of how my dad was somewhere in the heavens, and … and I listened, not because it made me feel better than he was in a better place, but that you were with me and not Sora!”
“Tidus…” Riku tried again, but almost fell to the ground as Tidus grabbed onto his legs.
“Look! I don’t care about my reputation - go on and tell the whole town about me! I couldn’t care less! But…” He gave a soft sniffle. Riku realized that he had been frozen for the past few minutes, watching this all unravel. “But don’t let yourself be stuck on Sora, who is only going to break your heart!”
Sighing, Riku ran a hand through his hair, his headache threatening to return back at full force. “Tidus…”
“Please!” Tidus exclaimed, cutting him off again. “Please, promise me!”
Riku exhaled again. “I…I can’t promise you that.” Tidus opened his mouth to protest, but Riku held up his hand. “It’s…complicated. Sora and I…we’ve been through a lot. But…” He glanced down to Tidus, noting how the boy - Riku never referred to him as a boy before. He was always strong and able Tidus. But seeing Tidus near tears like that made him realize that Tidus was only a boy, after all - how his chin quivered as though tears were about to spill over and he shook his head. “I’ll try. I know Sora can’t. It’s…love, you know?”
Tidus gave what could have resembled a smile before enveloping Riku in one of the tightest hugs he’d ever felt. Riku simply smiled and patted the kid’s back as Tidus rested his head against his shoulder, tears of anger gently turning into tears of contentment as they flowed down his cheeks.
To see other prompts from this table, click here.